Trying to Fix 10 Broken Nintendo Games - Extended Cut

Trying to Fix 10 Broken Nintendo Games - Extended Cut - With the help of a little bit of DeoxIT and a magic eraser we will be cleaning the pins on these 10 Nintendo game cartridges to see if we can get them to work again. Our goal is to fix all 10, but we'll see if it's possible!
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-Digital Microscope: Amazon (paid link) geni.us/JLqdVD
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[@RandyFortier]

You'd think that Pablo Escobar would do a better job replacing his Super Mario 64 label than that.

[@adrianlayman892]

8:43 when you REALIZE you had the ground on the WRONG trace... LOVE THE WORK BROTHER! God Bless you ALL!

[@StillthatguyJake]

"Most Replayed" ...He's got eagle eyes in the chat

[@mjc0961]

16:17 - LOL. I can promise you that if you put that Game Boy game into an NES, it will not work. ;)

[@Null_Experis]

I've found that just using a regular white pencil eraser cleans up pins very nicely without damaging them at all,

[@vitalyjoepeachpeedarkok]

That's what I've been doing when I was a kid lol

[@TheEvolutionizt]

Your a legend! Saving retro games so more people could enjoy them. Good weekend to you sir!

[@fishhandler9]

you are the bob ross of electronics. we love you steve

[@SmokeGSU]

"And let's put some happy DeoxIt right there and use gentle strokes with the Magic Eraser! There's nothing wrong with having a Magic Eraser as a friend."

[@310_Latchkey_kid]

Super Mario Bros. 3......Best game of the NES!!

[@bland9876]

I like Kirby's Adventure better. If I'm going to play a Mario game I'm playing Super Mario Advance 4 that's my favorite.

[@SkyfallLodge]

Deoxit leaves a layer of lubrication and protection. If you put it on and wash it off again, you're wasting some of it's value.

[@douhacomcastnet]

Here and I hadn’t thought my message, about how Adrian used de-ox-it and the magic eraser pads, had gotten through to you. Glad you find it useful. Love your content, Steve. 😊

[@bigdavedownunder]

It's amazing how far we've come with technology I mean I have an arcade machine with a 1000s of games the board in it isn't much bigger than a phone on the 80s it would have been a circuit board 2 foot x 2 foot same as these cartridges

[@KarlosKlaro]

This video is more for CLEAN, than fix. I like it.

[@ItsSauIGoodman]

Sometimes i feel like Steve invents problems on some stuff lol. Either way i love it

[@jessej9613]

I clean the pins/tracks on ram dimms with a pencil rubber/eraser. Would probably work on the carts too.

[@LordVader.66]

I have that same N64. Love it.

[@gregthatcher919]

With the deoxit, I clean it off with iso the get rid of the debris you just "sanded" and add fresh after with a q tip. Makes them last long and keeps corrosion away if it had corrosion to begin with

[@nathandaniel1000]

Try a fiberglass pen for gold contacts, they work wonders

[@frogjunk]

I agree with the magic eraser. I think you don’t need to scrub it so long though. Less is better than more in this case.

[@SithLordAnakin]

Seeing No Mercy in that pile brought a tear to my eye.

[@groovylicks6]

I have it on ps1

[@louistournas120]

I think you need to tin the connectors. Over time, the layer of gold and copper will scratch off. It needs more layer of some metal.

[@captainrobots1]

I've cleand a nes or snes with soap and water because it was so sticky even rubbing alcohol wasn't going to clean it. And yes that game works properly. It used to crash all the time.

[@thetwotones232]

dam my guy looking good glad your still making vids and seem happy hopefully great news

[@ZonicMirage]

Glad the fixes were easy, if not exactly exciting. I feel like you'd have to 3D print a new connector piece for the Game Shark.

[@nickolaswilcox425]

interesting, i think that first cart may actually be a rare pcb variant, cant find any info on them, but apparently some nes games screwed up the pin positioning or the solder mask resulting in that green band, which does screw with its ability to be used in some consoles that white stuff is most likely polishing compound, some people think that polishing off the top layer of metal is a good idea, hence the really worn plating

[@dave8826]

Dont you love when you power on a console you can play right away?

[@turpac1]

Yup I just love my steam deck oled😉😁

[@Kinsanth_]

Oh yeah

[@Kinsanth_]

​@@turpac1not really a retro console, but yeah, when the internal soldered in ssds give out, you get in trouble fast x3

[@OblivionWalkerVerified]

I saw the black cartridge and thought for 5 seconds you had the glitched copy of Turok rage wars

[@me0262]

Super Mario 64, the white stuff you see there is Brasso, brass cleaner, highly abrasive, cleans pins really well, but leaves that residue all over the place. Brite Boy is a better alternative to that, and specifically made for games..

[@NOXFPV]

I watch all your videos.

[@tdena9391]

You cannot fix what is not broken, you just cleaned...

[@Finnishmanni]

Mario and luigi superstar saga is probably my top 5-10 games of all time.

[@TheGameBench]

On that Donkey Kong cart, I feel like the worn traces were more due to friction with the cart shell than corrosion.

[@iamwonderFil]

hey steve, you should play that ocarina of time before reselling it; one of the greats

[@isaacbutler8828]

SMB 2 is good, but my favorite NES game is SMB 1 and SMB 3 a tie. I played them WAY TOO MUCH! Good to see that the old school games are being put back in working order.

[@Ragenule]

ADB mentioned, swell with "it freaking works!"

[@kulilin3104]

A neat trick I discovered for removing sharpie on old game plastic is to take a black dry erase marker and thouroughly color over the sharpie. Then clean with IPA. No scrubbing needed.

[@nocapvisualz]

You didn't discover that, c'mon lol, you saw it on the Internet

[@kulilin3104]

@nocapvisualz actually, saw it in a movie. Thought it was BS. It was not.

[@nocapvisualz]

@@kulilin3104 so you didn't discover it 😆

[@bryanbeavers957]

Someone showed that to me in school.

[@jettesides420]

My first NES game memory was Excitebike. First game ever? Yars Revenge

[@jasongaudet8719]

Could possibly try plastic welder for that broken plastic piece? I've had go success with welding plastic car models that have broken. Yes i know it's not electronic, the car model, but it might work.

[@hyperorbit]

I love these kinds of repair videos.

[@StefaniClaypool]

I use dioxit and magic eraser also works awesome

[@JurassicApe2460]

Wait... How did your NES show the start up on the game without you pushing the cartridge down after inserting it? Or was there a video edit in there i missed?

[@mbradfield53]

If I remember I think this was filmed before fixing it maybe originally

[@TuckerBrennanNJ]

You do not actually have to push the cartridge down. That's how the game genie actually functioned.

[@ctrl_alt_del100]

Yea sticking it In is the connection the push down is for show

[@fortunateson6070]

Try UV resin or JB Superweld for those plastic repairs, it's like magic. You can find UV jewelry resin at craft stores and JB superweld UV glue at Automotive stores.

[@MullinsM]

Who would have thought of smuggling cocaine in a N64 cartridge...

[@turpac1]

Looking great man keep up the good work 👌🏼👍🏼

[@RohanSpartin]

I have that exact same Game Boy Gameshark. And it is also broken in the same way.

[@Unforgivensaint07]

Super Mario 3 is amazing. I miss the cheats and hidden things games use to add to the game.

[@Sonicgott]

What microscope setup do you have? Very educational and entertaining. Nice to see my childhood being restored. Also, Super Mario Bros 3 was most definitely a pinnacle title for the NES. ❤

[@gatorb8]

Super 3 was the best and the only one I ever played and tried to complete it.

[@bland9876]

I wonder if you could just buy a replacement cartridge connector for a Game Boy and then put it inside of that game genie? Ya it would take a lot of soldering though for all the pins.

[@KN-do1qb]

Hiya Steve! May i ask what are you running the N64 video signal through? It looks super crisp! Many kudos for the videos (and glad you’re healing up)!!

[@chrismurphy5069]

SM3 and Link To The Past are my 2 favorite.

[@dascandy]

@22:10 isn't it a good idea to replate those contacts? If it's exposed iron or copper it'll reoxidize in weeks.

[@KrispyBizcut]

Omg i need rhe TMNT game for my collection!!!!

[@sjoerdvogel3352]

I ordered some N64 games and accessories recently. When I received them half of them didn't work. Gave the pins a quick clean with IPA and solved the issue. Still sad they got shipped like that.

[@sebmaster]

„The one where i didn‘t do anything but cleaning pins“ 😂

[@randywalker9083]

You use a miracle eraser, in the eighties we were taught to use a pencil eraser to clean card contact pins.

[@lukerhodes216]

Can I recommend a white pencil eraser instead of magic eraser, its like using a clay bar on a car to remove contaminents from a cars paint, my process is usually to use Iso to clean the pins first then use an eraser and then Iso again, this process never fails me and you dont remove any coating from the pins

[@R3troZone]

It pains me to see people use a magic eraser on those pins when an ordinary pink rubber eraser will clean them just as well without tearing up the metal.

[@cosmos8569]

Getting on the crazy train at Tronics fix 😂😂😂

[@ianburkard]

Yay... retro fixing!

[@yumark5800]

You look like your old self again! ❤

[@urzaserra256]

No checking of the battery in that Ocarina of Time? A bad battery would certainly make the game broken imo.

[@williamharris8367]

I don't think that I have _ever_ seen games at a thrift shop described as working or not-working. It is always "as is, no returns". I would be surprised if the establishment has either the hardware or the technical skills to test anything beyond plugging it into an outlet. Around here, Goodwill mainly employs individuals who are unsuitable for mainstream employment.

[@jeremybreau2482]

Why don't you use the eraser method to deoxide the pins on the cartridge?

[@ChiEKKUsama]

Yo congrats on getting your hair back! Why not use brass polish? Doesn't require abrasion, only a qtip. I use that for games with really dirty pins and and makes them like new

[@StefaniClaypool]

leave the dioxit on it will clean the NES pins

[@alessandrofonseca7796]

Hey bro! You have hair! Are you fully recovered? Hope you´re ok! Cheers.

[@SMAAAASHTV]

Be careful touching those things with your bare hands before cleaning them. Especially the game with the white poweder all over it. That could be anything and it would be best to wear gloves when doing initial cleanings.

[@Tezz42]

3d print the part for the game shark 🤔

[@Knightridermsn]

John Riggs leaves the dioxis on it

[@joaopedrosilva3796]

why do you never use a ultrasonic cleaner?

[@clivewiddall3430]

A watch makers fibre pen would clean those little pins

[@JoeyVilleneuve]

How on earth can Goodwill sell these "broken" or "untested" games for $200, when they go for barely more than that in working condition?

[@flankystanky]

Don’t even act like ur not doing good!!!!happy for you!!!

[@who919me]

Moisture doesn't get in there unless someone is blowing (pause) into it (side note if you grew up on this) every blew (pause) into it

[@TooBokoo]

Did Goodwill sell these as not working for $200? If so, thats ridiculous.

[@williamharris8367]

Imagine how very much more it would cost if the games actually worked!

[@dodgydruid]

I would agree on SMB3 as the best for the NES, Solstice is prob my 2nd favourite as its a massive massive game with a kick ass sound track and for its time awesome graphics and who would have thought them chaps would go off and do GTA amongst things, them chaps learned their craft on old Sinclair ZX computers and remember meeting them at a computer fair one year...

[@iamwonderFil]

soltice is an amazing album. really neat that they included a game with it.

[@jamesboxold9671]

Would you be willing to do an xbox elite series 2 controller? I need it repaired

[@njones621]

Paying $200 for cartridges in that condition is such a rip off. It’s worse than taking your chances buying them from GameStop online. At least you can return them if they’re defective when buying from GS. You are SOL if you buy from Goodwill and they don’t work, and you can’t fix them. I know Steve buys these for the content, but regular people are paying these prices on Goodwill auctions and that is insane. Your chances are better taking that money to the casino.

[@Aenashi]

You found my childhood cocaine supply!

[@dooglive922]

Can you fix my Pokemon sapphire? 😅 I think i killed the rom chip while trying to replace the battery...

[@lukevirgil1148]

super mario world was my favorite game

[@mikuneverdies6288]

yupp_0 Steve-0..dunt go CRAZZZZY..we Love you

[@Mikelp73]

First game I played on nes was star tropics. First game I beat by myself also. No I guess it was contra, but the he first game I bought and played

[@saharory]

He’ll yea I have been waiting for another video from you

[@jimmbrooks]

When was this filmed

[@recarlton08]

They probably used a used toothbrush for cleaning.

[@handyman683]

This is easy stuff. Need more console repairs.

[@thefreesoulchannel]

If you have a 3d pen you can fix the game shark

[@aldenrichie]

Supermario3 is the best. No doubt

[@LG-PickleRick]

@TronicsFix Longs I have 2 Nintendo 3DS with broken Screens that I am not willing to fix. It would make a good video. ;-)

[@GM-bm1zg]

Buen video

[@NinjaTenK]

Why not use a qtip

[@blakedenley3792]

Did you even verify if they were actually "broken" before cleaning?

[@daithi007]

Odd question.

[@Ragudugie]

It's quite common for things from Goodwill to not be in working condition but easy to fix given you have the tools/experience. I recently got a broken GBA for $30 that just needed the battery contacts cleaned and reflowed due to a leaked battery. Cleaning can fix quite a few electronics that get tossed.

[@Hadronat]

@@Ragudugie I think his question was rather upon was this method has to do any good here. Because in my opinion He was just destroy copper before even checked the game. or just for the video purposes

[@ianburkard]

@@Hadronat They would test the carts before cleaning, and this would be steps he'd take before reselling as refurbished. You're not going to lose copper with magic eraser and de-ox.

[@Hadronat]

Man you can literraly can see the copper on the bench just all my comments on it deleted @@ianburkard

[@Enjoymentboy]

I've always liked using the vinyl erasers. We used to use them in drafting class WAAAAYYYYYYY back when. They do a great job of removing the graphite particles so I figured they might do well with erasing the dirt from pins. And they so do. They are totally non-abrasive so no worry about wearing the pins down. You don't want the cheap dollar store ones those. No telling what junk is in them.

[@kriscynical]

@@Enjoymentboy I'm an illustrator and have some Staedtler drafting erasers in a clicky retractable stick format and I love them for drawing/thumbnailing. They're great erasers!

[@Enjoymentboy]

@@kriscynical Staedtler !!! That was the name. Thanks.

[@mjc0961]

Erasers are absolutely abrasive, abrasiveness is how they work. They wouldn't erase anything if they weren't abrasive. Where are you all getting this "erasers aren't abrasive" crap from?

[@Enjoymentboy]

@@mjc0961 Those drafting erasers aren't abrasive because they work by grabbing the material (ie graphite) and stick to it and its carried away as the eraser wears. They are designed specifically to NOT wear away the paper. If they won't wear through the paper I'm pretty sure they will leave the gold flash plating in place.

[@kriscynical]

@@mjc0961 If you use cheap shitty erasers then yes, they're abrasive as hell. That's why we're specific about the kind, being white Staedtler drafting erasers. They're made differently.

[@crossfadeking]

Looks like tony montana was playing some n64

[@jumper55ful]

TMNT YES!

[@vannahsa3]

I have a buddy that would blow into the cartridge and then lick the slot.

[@RonStone-eq5kl]

8:42 You are on the wrong pad

[@ChaossX77]

Half of these probably worked before doing anything to them.

[@NinjaTenK]

We all have blown it to the cartridge

[@Rodville]

How I clean DS and 3DS games is to use an alcohol wipe and a toothpick and rub each pin with the wipe using the tooth pick. The wood of the toothpick isn't hard enough to hut the cart and it has got some nasty carts clean again.